Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Comment

Matt Asks: "Tim, you said your goal is to become a 2:10guy in 5 years from now. Can I ask how old you are now? When do marathon runners peak, is it like other endurance sports, low-mid thirties?"

Matt- My goal over the next 4 years is to run a ~2:15. I am 36 years old now so that would make me a top masters runners. There is an article written on this very subject http://runningtimes.com/blog/?p=27 which explains it very well. The unique thing that I bring in to this is that I have a relatively young athletic age. I'm 36 but I haven't put that many miles on my legs and heart yet. I have yet to figure out what training is going to be the most effective for me. I have the structure- I believe- to run high volume and eventually intensity too. Training for Ironman for 10 years I very rarely did workouts up near my LT, I focused entirely on Maffetone training principles which I believe has set me up very nicely to absorb training and grow in to an ok runner over the next few years. I have already missed my peak for this sport but I still have the choice to exploit 100% of what I now have to work with. If I can do this, I think I will run a 2:15.

4 comments:

second - in the short time I have been observing what you have been doing via this blog, I think your goal is challenging but realistic. The volume and the intensity you are handling is a bit mind boggling to me. If you can stay injury free, then I think your goal is doable.

third - your objective in four years also sets up for a shot at the Oly Trials. I know there have been some rule changes, but I think a 2:15ish run would still be a qualifier. In other words, you would not be just a top masters runner, you'd be one of the top US runners. And kicking masters ass as well.

G- Thanks for the good word.I have always felt that any goal should push an individual to their limit.. force them to see what they are made of. I know my goal is lofty and will require that I do many things perfect. For me too- the journey in attempting to accomplish something like this is the fun part for me. The training is what I love. The new Oly Trials standard is 2:20. I think they simply eliminated the "B" standard of 2:22. A 2:15 masters marathoner... now that's something.

I've been following your site for a while now. First off, I really appreciate and admire your approach, which seems very simple and straightforward.

Couple thoughts/questions.

Regarding mileage. In reading about the training of some of the top US athletes (Ritz, Meb, Sell, Hall, Brown, etc.)...it seems that they are running anywhere from a low of 110-120 mpw (Meb) to a high of 170-180 mpw (Sell). While 90-100 miles a week seems astromically high for a triathlete (like me), as a runner..what are your thoughts on getting your mileage up into that range? Especially given your biomechanical gifts and imperviousness to injury. :-)

Second, you mentioned in a post that you don't stretch. Can you elaborate on why not and thoughts on other recovery/injury prevention tactics, like massage, etc?